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As one of Britain's best loved
and most versatile actresses,

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Dame Maggie Smith has been
delighting audiences

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for over 60 years.

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She is the double Oscar-winning
queen of the comically arched

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eyebrow.

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The spiky, funny girl,
who gave the acting world no choice

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but to take her seriously.

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The fact that she created
some of her most popular

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characters in her 70s is just
another testament to her talents.

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So how did this
extraordinary career begin?

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Well, let's start with Maggie
telling interviewer Clive Goodwin

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about the early days from a
programme called Acting In The '60s.

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The very first definite step was
when I was still at school.

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They had a frightfully good thing
that when you'd finished general
school certificates,

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usually you had two weeks at the end
of term, which was kind of dead

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time, and I immediately
went to the Oxford Playhouse,

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where I got a job,
which was for two weeks,

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to be in The Happiest Days
Of Your Life.

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To play the Scots girl, you,
know, Elizabeth Colhoun.

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This was immediately trodden on,
and I wasn't allowed to do it.

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So then,
I decided to go to drama school.

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I had made up my mind to do that
anyway before I left school.

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They started a drama
school in Oxford where I lived.

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It was attached at that
time to the Playhouse.

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And I went there for two years.
I wanted very much to go to RADA.

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It was everybody's dream to go to
RADA, and my parents, quite rightly,

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didn't want me to go to London when I
was 16, and live on my own.

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And from drama school you
went where?

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When I was at the Playhouse, I used
to work in university

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productions,
because they did an awful lot there,

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and they did lots of cabarets
and revues, and they were

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all run by Ned Sherrin and
Desmond O'Donovan, people like that.

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And I did those endlessly.

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If you were bright enough at Oxford,

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you could almost do weekly
rep around the colleges.

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You could get enough productions to
do a term, to keep you very busy.

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And you were playing light parts,
comedy parts? Yes, always.

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I was always, always in revue
and cabaret. I don't know why.

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I did do Twelfth Night.

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I suppose that was one of the first,
the earliest things I did. Playing?

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Playing Viola.

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And then the revues
I was in were taken up to Edinburgh,

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and we did Fringe productions.

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I think it was the first
Fringe shows up there.

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It was through one of those
late-night revues that you

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got the mythical break. The break.

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Yes, it was in... One of them we did
on the Fringe, and they brought

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down to London to the Watergate,
which doesn't exist any more.

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The Watergate Theatre. I can't
remember which one it was called.

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I think it was Oxford Eight or
one of those things.

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Which was seen by the American
director, who then took me

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to Broadway. It was called New Faces.
And was it successful?

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It was moderately successful, yes.

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It was rather sad because everybody
in it expected it to be a huge

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success, as the one before
had been, and obviously it wasn't.

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And everybody who went into thought,
"Oh, we're going to come out stars,"
because...

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Did you think that?
I don't know what I think.

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I was so overwhelmed
at the thought of going.

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In actual fact, I didn't enjoy it
at all, but I was so excited by it.

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I thought anything could happen.

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I suppose I must have thought
I would come back a great, huge star.

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And then you came back to London.
I came back for a holiday, actually.

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Then I did a television here, called
Boy Meets Girl, which

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Silvio Narizzano directed.

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And also Michael Codron asked me to
do Share My Lettuce with Kenneth
Williams.

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And I decided to stay.

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Again, more light comedy.
Was this what you wanted to do?

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I didn't really want to do it. Yet it
became... It became a kind of habit.

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Everybody thought of me in that way.

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They thought of me as always
in revue or a revue artist.

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And it became absolutely stuck.

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I don't think I really
thought about it very much.

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I think I was so overwhelmed

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and so carried away with myself.

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At working at all? At working at
all, yes, that I was rather grateful
for that.

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Now we're going to have a look
at a clip from one of your films,

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The Pumpkin Eater.

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You play the au pair girl at a
rather unconventional household.

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The mother is played by Anne
Bancroft,

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and you are discussing the merits of
her husband, played by Peter Finch.

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You're discussing
his merits as a father.

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Wives don't usually like me.
I like them, that's the funny thing.

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I seem to worry them somehow.

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I don't know, they get so ratty,
people's wives.

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Funny thing is, I like them
better than their husbands.

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Do you think that's funny?
Perhaps I'm not normal.

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I'm sure I'm normal, really.
Perhaps it's just un-abnormal.

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I can't see how I can be, can you?
I mean, I've been told I'm frigid.

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I don't see how you can tell.
Honestly, how can you tell?

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I shouldn't think you are.

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Anyway, you don't look it.

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I think you're marvellous.
I really do.

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I think you're absolutely marvellous.
You are so capable.

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All you do, all the children
and everything. The way you cope.

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Of course, Jake is the most
fabulous husband and father.

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He has been the most fabulous
husband...

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Can I get into... Oh!

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The most fabulous husband.

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How many are his? Er, one. One.

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One is his.

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The others aren't his?
No, they're not.

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Still, he's a wonderful father to
them all, isn't he?

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Do you enjoy filming?

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Not very much, no. Why not?
I don't know.

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I think you have to be
a screen actress.

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I really don't think I am. You
have to have a completely

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different outlook.

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By the time I get on the floor after
two and a half hours

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of make-up, I find it impossible.

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And also the lack of contact,
the fact there isn't an audience,

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the fact it is all
a question of how you look.

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People are always, always worried,
always around you all the time,

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trying to make you look like this.
Your costume isn't right.

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I don't know, I found by the end
of the day that one's morale was

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so low that maybe the camera's

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so close, that you feel you can't do
anything because it will look ugly.

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You get so concerned with the fact
you are in the wrong light,

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or if you do that it's unattractive
on camera, and you mustn't do this.

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You get so uninhibited, at least
I do, that I tend not to do anything.

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I always feel... I'm fine in a film
if I'm acting a neurotic person or a
small,

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tight, shy person. That's not quite
so difficult.

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Maggie may not have liked
film acting

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but the film world liked her,

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and two years after that interview,
she won the Best Actress Oscar

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for an unforgettable performance
in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie.

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Later she would discuss her
triumph with Michael Aspel

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in the 1970 programme
Personal Cinema.

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The conversation here begins with
a question about her Brodie

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co-star and then husband,
Robert Stephens.

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Your husband is a distinguished
actor

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and a busy one too. Do you ever
meet?

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Yes, we meet quite a lot at the
moment

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because we're working together. So we
do meet, yes.

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You've worked together more than
once.

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You were together in The Prime Of
Miss Jean Brodie. Yes, we were in
that

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and we have worked together
a lot at the National.

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That is where we're working now, so
we do really see quite a lot of each
other.

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Do you enjoy it? It's obviously nice
to see each other.

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Yes, because when Robert was filming
himself, I didn't see him at all.

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What about filming?

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You're not too keen on the rigours
of filming, are you?

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No, because I think rigours
is exactly it.

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I think it's...

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I have great admiration for people
who work only in the films,

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because I think it's just a killing
existence to work those hours.

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Also it's very isolating because you
only meet the people you're

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working with in the unit. You can't
have any other existence at all.

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There must be advantages.

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What about the range of characters
and parts you can play in the
cinema.

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That you can play in the cinema? Hmm.

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Well, that's true,

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but there are an awful lot of things
you can play in the theatre, and
there

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really aren't an awful lot of parts
for women in the film industry at the
moment.

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I suppose the lack of teamwork
and cohesion, continuity,

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must be one of the great drawbacks?
Yes, that is true.

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Again, it's difficult for me to judge

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because Brodie is the longest film,
the longest part I've

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ever had in a film and therefore
I did get to know people,

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I didn't just drift in and out
of the studio for two days here or

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a week there.

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So, it did have more continuity than
anything else I've worked on.

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You've got more awards than most
people can fit on one mantelpiece.

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What is your feeling about awards?

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I don't really know. It seems to
me...

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I suppose you're talking about Oscar
awards. Well, and practically
everything else

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I read you seem to have picked up.
Well, awards...

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are always... I mean, they're nice to
have and they're very rewarding to
have,

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when you realise you've been
awarded them

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by people who are in your own
profession.

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Therefore, one can't treat them
lightly.

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They are very meaningful,
as far as that is concerned.

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When people ask you, "What will it
mean to you now you've got this

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"award," it's
difficult to say what it means.

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It just means you want to go on and
hope you can live up to it, really.

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Yes, that's the thing.

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I suppose it stimulates in one way
and the other thing is,

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"Oh, my goodness, I've got to
live up to it." Yes.

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You won the Oscar for Jean Brodie.

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You weren't able to collect it
yourself, were you?

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No, because I was opening here in a
play. Yes.

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Have you been in America
when the awards are handed out?

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What sort of atmosphere is it?
No, I haven't.

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We were there in Los Angeles on tour
with the National Theatre,

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when the nominations came out.

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That was hysterical enough,
so I really,

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I dread to think what
happens on the actual occasion.

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Even seeing the replay
of the Academy Awards,

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which we saw on television,
one felt nervous then.

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We knew the result, but it seems odd
that kind of mounting...

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I suppose that really is the one
award that nobody knows

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anything about anyway,
until the last moment.

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Maggie Smith, the interesting thing
is, with all your acclaim,

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you're not over jubilant.

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You've been described as
"Miss Downbeat"

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that you look on life with
"great suspicion",

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"the brighter the prospects,
the deeper the gloom."

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What do you say about that?

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I suppose it must be true.
I don't know why.

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Perhaps it's...

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Perhaps it's because, you know,
when things go well

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it is a bit alarming.

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I sometimes think that
I've had so much luck,

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so much good fortune that...

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er...

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it frightens me, somehow.

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I always feel there's got to be...

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Something, you know, must go wrong
somewhere.

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Maybe I'm just always waiting for it.

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Well, it hasn't happened yet.

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Several years ago, after yet another
successful first night...

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That's not wood.
It's plastic, unfortunately. Oh.

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I think it was the rehearsal
of Anouilh,

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and somebody asked what would you
do next,

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and you said, "I think I'll go
to the pictures. What's on?"

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Is that your normal form
of relaxation?

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Well, er...

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It was then, I must say.

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Because that was a long run.

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Believe me, when you're in a long run

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you want to get out and see as much
as you can and relax.

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At the moment, and working the way
I do at the moment,

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I very rarely have that time.

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One rehearses during the day...

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You go on tour.

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It's not all that easy.

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What about filming one of these
Restoration comedies that you revel
in?

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I don't think they would film.

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Well, Taming Of The Shrew worked
very well.

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That's not Restoration, but it...
Yes, I can see that.

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Maybe you could film a play like
the one I'm in now,

231
00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,640
which is a Farquar comedy which
is much later on

232
00:13:58,640 --> 00:14:00,840
and is much simpler.

233
00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,520
But I really don't think anybody
would want to see these people

234
00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:07,480
with snuffboxes and fans waving about
all over the place.

235
00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:09,240
I think it'd be just boring.

236
00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:11,640
And also the plots are so complicated

237
00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:13,960
and the language is so convoluted,

238
00:14:13,960 --> 00:14:16,800
nobody could be bothered,
I don't think.

239
00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:18,400
You took a year off completely,

240
00:14:18,400 --> 00:14:20,440
when your first child was born.
Mm.

241
00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,640
Was that hell?
I mean being away from work?

242
00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,080
To be honest, yes, it was.

243
00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:27,640
It wasn't hell to begin with.

244
00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:31,960
And then I got more and more
moody and grumpy.

245
00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,400
And I realised it was just silly
to try and stay at home.

246
00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:38,960
But, in actual fact, it was
marvellous because

247
00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:43,240
going back after being away from work
for that length of time,

248
00:14:43,240 --> 00:14:45,440
I felt in some way that

249
00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,680
I'd recharged my batteries somehow.

250
00:14:48,680 --> 00:14:50,560
The break was good.

251
00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:52,600
You can work too much.

252
00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:54,040
You spent six weeks recently

253
00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,400
in Los Angeles
with the National Theatre.

254
00:14:56,400 --> 00:14:57,840
Do you think it helped you -

255
00:14:57,840 --> 00:15:00,240
making that contact with American
audiences -

256
00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,120
to win the Oscar for
Miss Jean Brodie?

257
00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:06,160
I think it probably did have
a lot to do with it, because...

258
00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:08,800
the theatre itself got coverage

259
00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:10,800
in the newspapers there.

260
00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:14,760
And I think, on the whole, people
really don't know who I am.

261
00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,240
I just think it sort of jogged
their memory in some way.

262
00:15:18,240 --> 00:15:19,720
Yes.

263
00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:21,800
Well, we're going to see a clip

264
00:15:21,800 --> 00:15:23,520
from Miss Jean Brodie -

265
00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,240
a very interesting clip,
which you specially requested -

266
00:15:26,240 --> 00:15:27,680
where you and Celia Johnson,

267
00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,080
as the highly disapproving
headmistress,

268
00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,840
confront each other about the letter
that has been sent,

269
00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,920
or hidden so that she will find it,
by one of girls.

270
00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:40,440
Thank you. Let's see.

271
00:15:41,960 --> 00:15:43,720
Do you know what this is?

272
00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:48,160
It would appear to be a piece of blue
paper with writing on it in pencil.

273
00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:50,240
It is, in fact, a letter.

274
00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,480
It was found by Miss McKenzie
in a library book.

275
00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,480
She glanced at it,
but after the first sentence,

276
00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:55,960
she dare not actually read it.

277
00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:57,520
She brought it instantly to me.

278
00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:00,240
Yes... Is it addressed to you?

279
00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:01,680
No, Miss Brodie.

280
00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:05,440
It is addressed to Mr Lowther,
but it is signed by you.

281
00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,440
I shall begin.
Oh, please do.

282
00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:12,560
Of course,
I realise it is a forgery.

283
00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:14,360
It is the work of a child.

284
00:16:14,360 --> 00:16:16,000
SHE CLEARS HER THROAT

285
00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,280
"My dear delightful Gordon.

286
00:16:18,280 --> 00:16:21,480
"Your letter has moved me deeply,
as you may imagine,

287
00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:24,560
"but, alas, I must ever decline to
be Mrs Lowther.

288
00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:26,600
"My reasons are twofold.

289
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:28,800
"I am dedicated to my girls,

290
00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:30,600
"as is Madam Pavlova,

291
00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:32,680
"and there was another in my life.

292
00:16:32,680 --> 00:16:34,120
"He is Teddy Lloyd.

293
00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:38,880
"Intimacy has never taken place
with him, he is married to another.

294
00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:41,480
"We are not lovers,
but we know the truth.

295
00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,800
"However, I was proud of giving
myself to you

296
00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,280
"when you came and took me
in the bracken

297
00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,560
"while the storm raged about us.

298
00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:52,080
"If I am in a certain condition

299
00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,480
"I shall place the infant
in the care

300
00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:56,120
"of a worthy shepherd and his wife.

301
00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:57,880
"I may permit misconduct

302
00:16:57,880 --> 00:17:00,680
"to occur again from time to time
as an outlet,

303
00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:03,560
"because I am in my prime.

304
00:17:03,560 --> 00:17:09,280
"We can also have many a...breezy
day in the fishing boat at sea.

305
00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:12,840
"We must keep a sharp lookout
for Miss Mackay, however,

306
00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:14,920
"as she is rather narrow,

307
00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,520
"which arises from an ignorance
of culture and the Italian scene.

308
00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:22,480
"I love to hear you singing
Hey, Johnnie Cope,

309
00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:25,920
"but were I to receive a proposal
of marriage tomorrow

310
00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:29,000
"from the Lord Lyon, King of Arms,
I would decline it.

311
00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,040
"Allow me, in conclusion,
to congratulate you warmly

312
00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:36,080
"on your sexual intercourse,
as well as your singing.

313
00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,560
"With fondest joy,
Jean Brodie."

314
00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:42,240
Is this what your girls, your set,

315
00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:45,560
have learned under your auspices,
Miss Brodie?

316
00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:51,480
It is a literary collaboration.

317
00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,720
Two separate hands are involved.

318
00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,960
One of the authors slants her tail
consonants in an unorthodox manner

319
00:17:56,960 --> 00:17:58,760
and the other does not.

320
00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:00,840
Also, the paper seems somewhat aged.

321
00:18:02,080 --> 00:18:03,880
Is that all you have to say?

322
00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:05,520
What else is there to say?

323
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,720
Two little girls at the age of
budding sexual fantasy

324
00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:10,600
have concocted a romance
for themselves.

325
00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,080
They've chosen me as a romantic
symbol.

326
00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:15,720
Is that so surprising?

327
00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:19,120
You and Celia Johnson, and Gordon
Jackson hovering nervously

328
00:18:19,120 --> 00:18:20,520
in the background.

329
00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:22,560
Lovely Kelvinside accents there.

330
00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,000
Did they take long to perfect?

331
00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,240
No, we had a very good
dialogue coach.

332
00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:28,280
A very good girl called
Margaret Gordon

333
00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:31,320
who was at the Gillespie school
in Edinburgh,

334
00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:34,320
which is, in actual fact, the school
where

335
00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:36,680
a teacher like Miss Brodie
did exist.

336
00:18:36,680 --> 00:18:38,360
Oh, I see.

337
00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:40,880
Now, your own style invites bizarre
descriptions.

338
00:18:40,880 --> 00:18:43,840
For example, "a voice like an
undisciplined slate pencil",

339
00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,520
but you sang like a good 'un in
Oh! What A Lovely War, didn't you?

340
00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:48,840
Pre-recorded, I hasten to add.

341
00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,480
What would you not turn
your talents to?

342
00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:56,680
I don't know.

343
00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:58,920
I mean...

344
00:18:58,920 --> 00:19:00,240
Give me a start.

345
00:19:00,240 --> 00:19:02,000
Do you mean would I romp around nude,

346
00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:04,240
or would I be in one of those
kind of films?

347
00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:05,880
For example.

348
00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,280
Well, for example, no.
I don't think I would.

349
00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:15,160
I think I'd have a go at anything
if it were interesting...enough.

350
00:19:15,160 --> 00:19:17,160
And if I liked the script.

351
00:19:17,160 --> 00:19:20,680
One of the scripts Smith did like

352
00:19:20,680 --> 00:19:23,280
was a film version of the Graham
Greene novel

353
00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:24,840
Travels With My Aunt.

354
00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,600
Katharine Hepburn had been due
to star as Aunt Augusta Bertram,

355
00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:32,480
but when she fell out with
the producers, Maggie got the part.

356
00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,720
The role earned her another
Oscar nomination,

357
00:19:35,720 --> 00:19:39,360
which she discussed on Parkinson
in 1973,

358
00:19:39,360 --> 00:19:43,480
alongside fellow guest
Sir John Betjeman.

359
00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:45,160
What exactly does that mean to you,

360
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:47,680
when you hear that you've been
nominated?

361
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:48,920
Are you pleased, or...?

362
00:19:48,920 --> 00:19:51,160
Well, yes, I'm...I'm very,
very pleased

363
00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:56,120
and it's because I was very much
last minute in the film.

364
00:19:56,120 --> 00:19:58,760
Yes, Katharine Hepburn was due
to star. Yes, exactly.

365
00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:01,760
And for reasons that I don't think
are unclear to anybody

366
00:20:01,760 --> 00:20:03,640
except for Miss Hepburn obviously,

367
00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:09,040
and the powers that be in MGM -
I don't really know what happened.

368
00:20:09,040 --> 00:20:13,200
But, I am delighted because there
were many struggles in the film.

369
00:20:13,200 --> 00:20:17,520
The fact of the age, and the make-up
and many, many things.

370
00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:21,040
And also I'm very pleased
for Bobby Fryer,

371
00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:24,680
who in actual fact produced Brodie...
Jean Brodie, right.

372
00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:28,800
..and who he really fought tooth
and nail for me to play the part.

373
00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:30,960
And this is also a film of his,

374
00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,440
so I'm very glad for him.

375
00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:35,120
Do you think you've got a chance?

376
00:20:35,120 --> 00:20:37,560
I honestly don't think so, this
time.

377
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:39,280
Why not? I didn't before.

378
00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,960
I just don't think so, this time.
I really, really don't.

379
00:20:41,960 --> 00:20:44,000
No.
Will you be going to the ceremony?

380
00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,000
No, I can't. I'll be working here.
Of course, you're working.

381
00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,520
For which I'm deeply relieved.
Really?

382
00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:50,880
Because I have been there,

383
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:53,320
I was there when we were playing in
Los Angeles,

384
00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:58,000
and I had to present an award
to, in actual fact, John Mills.

385
00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:03,080
And it is the most terrifying
experience ever.

386
00:21:03,080 --> 00:21:04,520
Why?

387
00:21:04,520 --> 00:21:08,280
I don't know. I think it's probably
because it's the one award

388
00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,560
in the world that people really do
not know...

389
00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:13,800
They just do not know.

390
00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:16,000
And there is something so...

391
00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:19,400
..naked and unkind.

392
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:23,960
The cameras go in on all the people
who are likely to get it

393
00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,120
and the hope in their faces...

394
00:21:27,120 --> 00:21:29,040
and then when it goes, you know...

395
00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,320
And they've all got those stitched
on smiles.

396
00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:35,840
Well, they obviously want it so
desperately.

397
00:21:35,840 --> 00:21:40,040
And, of course, there it does mean
much more than it does to us here.

398
00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:46,320
An Oscar is a tremendous,
tremendous award to get, really.

399
00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,360
But did it mean anything for you,
though in real terms, Maggie,

400
00:21:49,360 --> 00:21:51,600
when you won it for Jean Brodie?
In terms of work?

401
00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:54,520
Did all of a sudden people
start ringing you up.

402
00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,360
No. There is a kind of legend

403
00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:59,720
which has happened since the Oscars -

404
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,560
they always say that you DON'T
work very much after it.

405
00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:05,560
I don't understand why.

406
00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:07,200
I think it goes back to the fact

407
00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:12,720
that if you won an Oscar
in the old days, let us say,

408
00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:14,880
your salary immediately jumped
enormously.

409
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:18,640
And, of course, that cannot happen
now, it's unrealistic.

410
00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:21,640
So the money thing
doesn't come into it.

411
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:23,720
But there is this odd thing

412
00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:27,760
that you don't get offered work
because of an Oscar.

413
00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:29,960
I don't know why.
What do you do with the statuette?

414
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:31,600
Put it on a sideboard at home?

415
00:22:31,600 --> 00:22:34,080
Mine is actually holding a door open.

416
00:22:34,080 --> 00:22:36,080
Really? Yes!

417
00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,440
No, it's very friendly, actually.

418
00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:40,760
It's extremely useful for it.

419
00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:43,400
Is that gold?
No, it's not gold.

420
00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:45,240
It's extremely heavy.

421
00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,480
And no doubt very useful
if intruders, come in.

422
00:22:48,480 --> 00:22:51,360
Can I ask you about playing comedy,
erm...Maggie?

423
00:22:51,360 --> 00:22:53,760
Because it delights you, obviously.

424
00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,480
To do comedy. You like doing comedy.
Yes, I do.

425
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:59,440
Does one necessarily have to be
a funny person to be a comedienne?

426
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:05,240
No, I think, in actual fact, an awful
lot of people who are in comedy

427
00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,160
are very serious.
Yes.

428
00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:10,280
It's an old saying that comedy is a
serious business, but it is, really.

429
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:11,840
Yes.

430
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:14,080
Let's... Go on.

431
00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:16,720
Just...in a moment. Can we show
a scene, first of all?

432
00:23:16,720 --> 00:23:21,400
Which shows Miss Smith in her
role as a comedienne?

433
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:24,120
I have your permission to do that,
Sir John? Rather!

434
00:23:24,120 --> 00:23:26,480
I'd love to see it. All right, fine.
It's coming up now.

435
00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,240
And it's from the new film
of Maggie Smith.

436
00:23:32,360 --> 00:23:34,320
Henry!

437
00:23:34,320 --> 00:23:35,760
Oh!

438
00:23:35,760 --> 00:23:37,440
Good morning, Henry!

439
00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:39,000
Aunt! Where is Wordsworth?

440
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:40,200
In Paris.

441
00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:42,160
Do you know what that bastard did?

442
00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:43,920
He mixed pot with my mother's ashes!

443
00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:48,400
No regard!
Poor Henry.

444
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,280
Poor Henry? Poor mother!
I mean, poor...

445
00:23:51,280 --> 00:23:53,680
Well, poor Angelica, you mean!
Yes!

446
00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:55,760
Well, now, calm down, Henry.
Calm down, Henry.

447
00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,080
What is done, cannot be undone.

448
00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,400
They're putting all the blame
on poor Wordsworth.

449
00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:03,800
Well, you may be in serious trouble
too, Aunt Augusta.

450
00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:05,320
And so may you, Henry.

451
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,480
A spot of unpleasantness, at least.

452
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:08,560
You know the press.

453
00:24:08,560 --> 00:24:09,960
The press?

454
00:24:09,960 --> 00:24:14,240
Yes. "Bank manager conceals
pot in mother's ashes?"

455
00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:16,240
That's the sort of slander.

456
00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:18,040
TRAIN CLATTERS

457
00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:19,880
I have... I have a small...

458
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,440
I have a small commission...

459
00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:26,120
I have a small commission,
which necessitates my going to Paris.

460
00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:30,800
All things considered, I think
it best if you

461
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:32,080
come along with me.

462
00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:34,560
I booked two seats on the
BA three o'clock flight.

463
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:36,120
Paris?

464
00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:38,880
But, well, I'm not accustomed
to foreign travel.

465
00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:42,760
You'll take to it quickly enough
in MY company.

466
00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:45,640
But...m-m-my dahlias?!

467
00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:48,360
Pack, Henry.

468
00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:49,400
Pack?

469
00:24:52,360 --> 00:24:53,600
Pack.

470
00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:07,040
APPLAUSE

471
00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,160
I think the first thing that should
be explained, though, Maggie,

472
00:25:10,160 --> 00:25:12,680
in case people think it's a
different person sitting here,

473
00:25:12,680 --> 00:25:14,520
is...you're playing a 70-year-old
woman

474
00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:16,960
Of an indeterminate age,
she's described.

475
00:25:16,960 --> 00:25:20,160
Where do you get that voice from,
by the way? Where does that...?

476
00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:22,320
I've no idea, actually.

477
00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,120
It was, as I said,
all in such a rush.

478
00:25:25,120 --> 00:25:29,120
I think once I've got the make-up
and those extraordinary costumes,

479
00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:31,320
which were marvellous -

480
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:36,560
and done by Anthony Powell who did
the sets for Private Lives -

481
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,920
once it all got together
it just, sort of, came.

482
00:25:39,920 --> 00:25:43,760
That's amazing. Once you're
dressed in the part, the voice...

483
00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,200
Yes, it's a physical thing.
The voice just grew out of it?

484
00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:47,520
Just grew out of it.

485
00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:51,000
The Academy Award eluded
Maggie on that occasion,

486
00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:55,560
but five years later she did win
the Best Supporting Actress

487
00:25:55,560 --> 00:25:58,600
starring opposite Michael Caine
in California Suite.

488
00:25:59,760 --> 00:26:02,680
The 1980s were a blur of awards -

489
00:26:02,680 --> 00:26:06,720
Maggie won the best actress BAFTA
three years in succession

490
00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:09,760
for A Private Function,
A Room With A View,

491
00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,760
and The Lonely Passion
Of Judith Herne.

492
00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:16,280
Perhaps not surprisingly, after
a run like that,

493
00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:21,920
the 1990s saw her made a dame
for Services To The Performing Arts.

494
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,240
And so it was as Dame Maggie Smith,

495
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:29,040
that she made this appearance
on Barry Norman's Film '93,

496
00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:30,720
looking back on her career

497
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,240
and discussing her role
in The Secret Garden.

498
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,240
What you have been doing lately,
it seems to me,

499
00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:43,280
is alternating smaller independent
movies like

500
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:44,720
The Lonely Passion Of Judith
Herne

501
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:47,560
and now The Secret Garden
which we'll come to in a minute,

502
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:49,600
with glossy Hollywood movies

503
00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,440
like Hook and Sister Act
and now Sister Act II.

504
00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:54,280
Now, is this a game plan?

505
00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:55,880
No. No, it's not by design, at all.

506
00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:57,920
Quite honestly I just go where...

507
00:26:57,920 --> 00:26:59,560
If there's work, I do it.

508
00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:02,160
And if there isn't work, I don't do
it. It's as simple as that.

509
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:05,800
And I have never worked by design
or with any plan in mind, at all.

510
00:27:05,800 --> 00:27:08,680
It's just these things come up

511
00:27:08,680 --> 00:27:11,040
and I kind of go ahead and do them.

512
00:27:11,040 --> 00:27:12,680
For instance, Hook.

513
00:27:12,680 --> 00:27:14,800
The 93-year-old Wendy Darling.

514
00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:18,840
Hook, I did, because they had a lot
of trouble finding a Wendy.

515
00:27:18,840 --> 00:27:21,040
And they went on and on and on

516
00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,240
and really I blame Anthony Powell,

517
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:25,320
who's a dear, dear friend,

518
00:27:25,320 --> 00:27:27,760
who was doing the clothes

519
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:30,240
and he kept saying
that I could do it.

520
00:27:30,240 --> 00:27:33,280
And, finally, Steven said,
"Well, how old is Maggie Smith?"

521
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:36,960
And Anthony said without blinking,
"96."

522
00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:39,560
So, I sort of went ahead and did it.

523
00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:42,080
It was hell, actually.

524
00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,720
But you did it as an act of charity
to help the poor struggling young

525
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:47,960
Steven Spielberg?
No, no. Oh, no, no.

526
00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,360
Not at all. I mean, I got the part
and I was delighted to have it.

527
00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:54,720
Otherwise, I mean, I would never work
with someone like Steven Spielberg.

528
00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:56,480
That in itself was interesting.

529
00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:58,200
I mean, it was extraordinary.

530
00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:00,240
He works at such speed always.

531
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:01,800
He wants to get on.

532
00:28:01,800 --> 00:28:04,640
He's got film coming out of
his fingers almost.

533
00:28:06,080 --> 00:28:08,400
A strange, strange thing.

534
00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,840
Why have you been playing very old
ladies lately. I mean, 93 in Hook...

535
00:28:11,840 --> 00:28:13,720
I think, because I am an old lady!

536
00:28:13,720 --> 00:28:15,120
Oh, nonsense.

537
00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:17,680
You are Maggie Smith
and you are in your prime.

538
00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,160
No, no. I think this is...
I think it just happens.

539
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:23,640
I am always...

540
00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:26,200
I'm always playing these sort
of rather

541
00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:28,640
sour, faded women.

542
00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:30,920
And I'm always in corsets.

543
00:28:30,920 --> 00:28:32,800
And I'm always in wigs

544
00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:34,800
and I'm always in those buttoned
boots.

545
00:28:34,800 --> 00:28:36,240
It's sort of like a kind of...

546
00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,200
It's typecasting, I suppose.

547
00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:40,720
I have...

548
00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:44,160
I can't remember when I last appeared
in modern dress.

549
00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,040
You know that it's often said
that people become actors

550
00:28:47,040 --> 00:28:48,640
because they have a certain shyness,

551
00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:52,280
and are unsure of who they actually
are. Would that be true of you?

552
00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:54,320
I think it...

553
00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,520
Yes, I think it's very, very true.

554
00:28:56,520 --> 00:28:58,600
And the awful thing...

555
00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:01,000
The really awful thing is that it
doesn't get any better.

556
00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:03,160
It's one of those weird things.

557
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:06,280
Because you never, never do find out
who you are.

558
00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:10,960
I was told that when you were doing
The Lonely Passion Of Judith Herne,

559
00:29:10,960 --> 00:29:13,840
which I imagine you must be very
pleased with,

560
00:29:13,840 --> 00:29:17,280
that on location in Dublin,
you deliberately didn't stay

561
00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,520
in the same hotel as everyone else

562
00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:23,120
because you wanted to feel and taste
the loneliness of living on
your own.

563
00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:25,520
No! Like Olivier, when he said,
"Have you tried acting?"

564
00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:28,000
I just thought it made much more
sense to be in a hotel

565
00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,480
where you're on your own and you can
get in the elevator...

566
00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:33,520
Elevator? Lift.
You can see I'm well travelled -

567
00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:35,720
and you go up to your room
and that's it.

568
00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:37,680
You don't actually go into the hotel.

569
00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:39,320
see everybody at the bar, say

570
00:29:39,320 --> 00:29:42,080
"Oh, hello, yes. Of course, yeah,
I'll have..."

571
00:29:42,080 --> 00:29:44,120
That way madness lies.

572
00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,520
So, it's to do with weakness of
character,

573
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:48,920
not trying to find one.

574
00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,440
You've done a wide variety of roles.

575
00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,040
I tell you, something you did,
a very small part,

576
00:29:54,040 --> 00:29:56,240
in a film which I think was greatly
underrated -

577
00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,720
Oh! What A Lovely War.
Dickie Attenborough. Oh, yeah.

578
00:29:58,720 --> 00:30:01,560
I thought it was fascinating that
when we first see you

579
00:30:01,560 --> 00:30:03,800
you're terribly glamorous on
the stage,

580
00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,120
and you continue to be glamorous
throughout the song

581
00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:09,360
and then suddenly there's
this quite harsh close-up.

582
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,120
Yeah, I'm very proud of that,
because it was my idea.

583
00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:15,560
Oh, was it? Yeah. So, I was
very, very pleased with that.

584
00:30:15,560 --> 00:30:17,520
But that is a very frightening thing,

585
00:30:17,520 --> 00:30:20,960
when you see them with an enormous
amount of make-up

586
00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:26,720
and you're looking completely
startling and ludicrous, really.

587
00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:28,560
Got a clip of that to show you,
as well.

588
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:30,360
Oh. Here you are singing.

589
00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,240
I don't think I can even listen
to this.

590
00:30:34,240 --> 00:30:36,800
# If only other girls
would do as I do

591
00:30:36,800 --> 00:30:40,160
# I believe that we could manage it
alone

592
00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:42,680
# But I turn all suitors from me

593
00:30:42,680 --> 00:30:45,160
# But the sailor and the Tommy

594
00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:49,680
# I've an army and a navy of my own

595
00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:53,400
# On Sunday I'd walk out
with a soldier

596
00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:57,000
# Monday I'm taken by a tar

597
00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:01,040
# Tuesday I'm out with a baby boy
scout

598
00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,000
# On Wednesday a Hussar

599
00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,400
# On Thursday I gang out
wi' a Scottie

600
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,520
# On Friday the captain
of the crew

601
00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:12,640
# But on Saturday I'm willing

602
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:14,920
# If you'll only take the shilling

603
00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:18,120
# To make a man of any one of you #

604
00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:22,560
I enjoyed that.
You obviously didn't.

605
00:31:22,560 --> 00:31:24,720
You sat with your fingers
in your ears. No.

606
00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,280
No, I've never been able to sing.
Never ever.

607
00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:30,080
You have a reputation,
thoroughly deserved,

608
00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:32,360
of stealing films from other people.

609
00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:35,840
Michael Caine, when you got your
second Oscar for California Suite,

610
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:39,640
he said you didn't just steal the
film, you committed grand larceny.

611
00:31:39,640 --> 00:31:43,640
And then when he heard that Michael
Palin had cast you in The Missionary

612
00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:45,760
his only advice to Palin was to
watch out,

613
00:31:45,760 --> 00:31:48,120
you'd "steal the film from under
your feet".

614
00:31:48,120 --> 00:31:51,560
Is this deliberate, or does it
just happen that way? Not at all.

615
00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:53,920
It was Burton who started all
that up.

616
00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:56,240
Richard Burton saying that
in The VIPs.

617
00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,320
And that really was the wildest thing

618
00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:00,520
because it was a scene that we shot

619
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:02,960
and I was told Margaret Rutherford
is over there,

620
00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:05,840
and so-and-so is over there, and
Orson Wells is over there

621
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:07,920
and, of course, nobody is there,
at all.

622
00:32:07,920 --> 00:32:10,760
There was a kind of a bit of
cardboard

623
00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:12,640
with Richard sitting in front
of it.

624
00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:14,800
So one had to pretend all this
was happening.

625
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:19,000
So under those circumstances it is
quite difficult to do it by design.

626
00:32:20,560 --> 00:32:23,560
I think it's just the parts
are probably like that.

627
00:32:23,560 --> 00:32:28,440
People always have sympathy
for that kind of person.

628
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:33,280
The downtrodden aunt in the corsets
and the boots that I'm always in.

629
00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:37,360
In 1976, you went off to Stratford,
Ontario for three years

630
00:32:37,360 --> 00:32:40,200
and I think that was a bad time
in your private life.

631
00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:42,560
Your marriage to Robert Stephens
was breaking.

632
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:44,520
Not good professionally.

633
00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:47,760
It was said, probably not by you,
but by somebody else,

634
00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:49,920
and it may be the truth,

635
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:53,200
that you were running away to escape
the demons and the pressures.

636
00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:57,640
It wasn't a good time, obviously,
when my marriage broke up.

637
00:32:57,640 --> 00:32:59,040
That wasn't good.

638
00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,320
I was also acting very, very badly.

639
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,800
I really was...
Because of all kinds of pressures.

640
00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:07,760
No reason for excuses,
there aren't any.

641
00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,760
And I was there, I was there
for a long time.

642
00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:12,880
But I was really, really glad

643
00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:15,720
and really stimulated by being there.

644
00:33:15,720 --> 00:33:18,320
It was great to be away from

645
00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:20,360
the pressures of...

646
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:24,440
It just felt different doing all
those plays

647
00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:26,520
in the middle of a field in Ontario.

648
00:33:26,520 --> 00:33:31,560
Somehow the pressures of the critics
and things wasn't so strong.

649
00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:34,400
You didn't feel...

650
00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:36,440
I always feel...

651
00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:40,280
nearly every time I do anything,
that it's like an exam.

652
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:41,920
It always feels like that.

653
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:44,040
And that you get marks at the end.

654
00:33:44,040 --> 00:33:46,400
That's how I think of reviews.

655
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:50,200
Now, of course, the film that
is coming up is The Secret Garden,

656
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:53,080
which I must say I did enjoy
immensely.

657
00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:54,960
Again, what made you do that?

658
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:57,160
Was it simply that somebody offered
you this script,

659
00:33:57,160 --> 00:33:59,400
with a very good role?
Absolutely.

660
00:33:59,400 --> 00:34:02,400
When I read the book,
ages and ages ago,

661
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:07,480
the character that I was playing
was not at all like me.

662
00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:10,800
It was very different working on that
film

663
00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:14,400
because they treat children
and animals quite well.

664
00:34:14,400 --> 00:34:16,680
Which is nice to know.

665
00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:19,920
So that was good.
That was terrific.

666
00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:23,240
So you didn't feel like a rag
the entire time.

667
00:34:23,240 --> 00:34:26,680
And Agnieszka - Heaven forfend that
I say it's because she's a woman,

668
00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:29,360
but it certainly had something
to do with it -

669
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,720
would from time to time when we got
to the end of a scene would say,

670
00:34:32,720 --> 00:34:36,360
"Vy don't you go and take off
these corsets and things,

671
00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:38,880
"you will feel more comfortable."

672
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:40,800
That was wonderful.

673
00:34:40,800 --> 00:34:44,520
Because, I can promise you
I've spent weeks on end

674
00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:47,320
in the wretched things on Merchant
Ivory films.

675
00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:49,600
Nobody would even...

676
00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:54,040
They actually left me in corsets up
a mountain once for days, I think!

677
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:56,280
and by then you're dead!

678
00:34:56,280 --> 00:35:00,720
You look splendidly upholstered in
your corsets in The Secret Garden.

679
00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:03,320
Yes, I was quite upholstered in them.

680
00:35:03,320 --> 00:35:06,440
I think you ought to have the
opportunity to see at least a clip.

681
00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,520
I'd be interested. This is the bit
where you, as the housekeeper,

682
00:35:09,520 --> 00:35:12,920
comes to collect the little girl
at the station.

683
00:35:15,360 --> 00:35:17,200
Is that Mary Lennox?

684
00:35:17,200 --> 00:35:19,160
Number 43.

685
00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:20,880
Yes, Mary Lennox.

686
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:21,840
I've come to claim her.

687
00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:24,520
I'm Mrs Medlock.

688
00:35:24,520 --> 00:35:27,040
Housekeeper at Misselthwaite Manor.

689
00:35:27,040 --> 00:35:31,240
The Lord Archibald Craven,
her uncle and guardian.

690
00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:34,880
What a queer, unresponsive
little thing.

691
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,680
And, my word, a plain piece of goods.

692
00:35:37,680 --> 00:35:39,560
Her mother was a beauty.

693
00:35:39,560 --> 00:35:42,400
She certainly didn't hand much
of it down, did she?

694
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,680
Oh, she might improve as she
gets older. Children change.

695
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:48,720
She'll have to change quite a bit.

696
00:35:48,720 --> 00:35:52,880
If you ask me, there's not much to
improve her at Misselthwaite Manor.

697
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:54,760
Come along.

698
00:35:57,360 --> 00:35:59,360
You're a mistress of accents!

699
00:35:59,360 --> 00:36:03,520
Dear little Kate - wonderful face,
isn't it? Kate Maberly.

700
00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,160
When you look back now
over your career,

701
00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:09,000
you must be fairly chuffed at
the way things have turned out.

702
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:12,800
Nothing has changed. It's still
as precarious as it ever was.

703
00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:14,840
There's another wonderful thing

704
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:17,520
that I wanted to do with Lindsay
Anderson,

705
00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:19,360
and we tried to set it up.

706
00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:22,400
It's a Chekov, and, of course, that's
difficult,

707
00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:25,240
and the producer had sent it
to several companies -

708
00:36:25,240 --> 00:36:28,880
God knows, it might be this one,
for all I know! -

709
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:31,960
and he got a letter back which said
"Dear Mr Chekov, thank you for..."

710
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:34,880
Now, that's terrifying, isn't it?

711
00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:39,480
I have seen a Xerox of the letter!

712
00:36:39,480 --> 00:36:42,920
Now, you must take satisfaction out
of some of the things you have done.

713
00:36:42,920 --> 00:36:45,480
Oh, yes!
Oh, yes, I'm not saying I don't,

714
00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:48,000
but I'm just saying it doesn't
guarantee

715
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:50,240
you will ever do anything else,
that's all.

716
00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:52,280
So, if I say
"What does the future hold?"

717
00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:55,280
You'll say you haven't the faintest
idea? I haven't the faintest idea.

718
00:36:55,280 --> 00:36:57,520
I really haven't the faintest idea.

719
00:36:57,520 --> 00:36:59,600
But it better be something soon,

720
00:36:59,600 --> 00:37:03,040
because I shall drive everybody
mad if I don't work. I know that.

721
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:04,840
Of course more work did come,

722
00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,600
along with more praise and awards.

723
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,960
Today Dame Maggie's profile
is higher than ever.

724
00:37:10,960 --> 00:37:14,360
Scene-stealing performances in
Downton Abbey,

725
00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:16,040
and the Harry Potter movies,

726
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:20,600
meaning this national treasure is
recognised right across the world.

727
00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:23,560
When most would be well into
retirement,

728
00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:27,160
she carries on,
saying of acting, "I love it!

729
00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:31,880
"I'm privileged to do it and I don't
know where I would be without it."